Tooth marking method and means



Jan. 14, 1969, M. M. STARK v TOOTH MARKING METHOD AND MEANS Filed Feb.6, 1967 ,4 TTOP/VEYS" United States Patent 3,421,223 TOOTH MARKINGMETHOD AND MEANS Marvin M. Stark, Los Altos Hills, Calif., assignontoPascal Company, Inc., Seattle, Wash., a corporation of Washington FiledFeb. 6, 1967, Ser. No. 614,330

US. Cl. 32-19 Int. Cl. A61c 9/00 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREBackground of the invention This invention relates to a new and improvedmethod and means for conducting dental articulation tests by which todetermine the location of premature contact points between upper andlower teeth. As is well known such tests are part of the usual procedureof removing excess material from caps, crowns and fillings.

Heretofore such tests were performed by clamping a carbonized markingsheet between the teeth, or pressing the teeth into a relatively thickstrip of wax or other impression-taking material. However, the resultswith these and similar prior methods of testing were not always readilyinterpreted or accurately definitive of the precise contact pointlocations sought to be determined.

A principal object of the present invention is to mark the prematurecontact points on occlusion with a higher degree of precision andunmistakable definition than with prior techniques.

Still another object is to provide a marking technique which isconvenient and simple to use and which can be executed quickly andwithout inconvenience or discomfort to the patient or tedium to thedentist.

A specific object is to provide a tooth marking technique wherein themarking effects are confined to the contact points without smearing orblurring, and wherein traces of marking material may be easily removedso as to permit repeating the marking process immediately after eachremoval of tooth material in approaching the final contour desired.

Summary of invention In accordance with this invention substances of thenature to interact in visible manner upon intermixture are first appliedto the occlusal surfaces of upper and lower teeth so that occlusion ofthe teeth thereafter causes visible marks to appear at the precisepoints of contact.

As a specific feature, the pad in one embodiment comprises a laminateincluding outer layers which are permeable to the respective interactivesubstances and a nonpermeable barrier layer interposed between the outerlayers so as to prevent intermixture of the substances by transferthrough the pad. Typically, the outer layers comprise woven fabricmaterial such as silk or nylon cloth, and the interlayer comprises anonpermeable membrane. In one embodiment the substances respectivelycomprise a pH indicator and an activator for the same. In anotherembodiment the substances comprise differently colored dyes whichproduce a third color when intermixed.

Description The above and other features, objects and advantages of theinvention will become more fully evident from the following descriptionthereof by reference to the accompauying drawings.

FIGURE 1 is a face view of a marking pad in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention, with portions broken away to show thelaminated construction of the FIGURE 2 is a perspective viewillustrating the transfer pad being clamped between upper and lowerteeth for applying the marking substances.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view showing the upper and lower teethseparated with the pad removed and with the marking substances appliedto the occlusive surfaces.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view with the teeth occluded in the final stepof marking the contact points.

FIGURE 5 is a view with the teeth separated once again so as toillustrate approximately the appearance of contact point markings.

FIGURE 6 is a face view of a transfer pad of modified configuration.

In FIGURE 1 the transfer pad P, of rectangular shape and laminarconstruction, comprises opposing outer layers 10 and 12 and anintervening barrier layer 14 separating the outer layers. The outerlayers carry on their exposed faces the respective substances which arecapable of interaction to produce a visible effect when intermixed.Preferably these outer layers are formed of a soft and flexible materialpermeable to and saturated with the interactive substances. Typicallythese outer layers are strips of silk, nylon or other woven fabricmaterial. The barrier layer is impermeable to the interactive substancesand typically is formed of a thin strip or membrane of nonporoussubstance such as polyvinyl chloride, aluminum foil, waxed paper, etc.

The pad is of such width and length as to cover the occlusive surfacesof the required number of upper and lower teeth to be marked in a singletest. In FIGURE 6 a horseshoe-shaped pad P of similar laminarconstruction is depicted which is capable of marking the entire dentalarch in a single articulation test. In this embodiment the pad ismounted in a wishbone-shaped holder H having a handle H1 by which thedentist may conveniently place it in the patients month.

There are a variety of combinations of mutually interactive substanceswhich may be used on the pad surfaces for purposes of the invention. Forexample, the substance used on one pad surface may be an acid-baseindicator such as phenophthalein, and that on the other surface sodiumtetraborate or other suitable activator for the indicator. By placingthe transfer pad laden with these substances between the teeth andcausing the patient to bite against it, as in FIGURE 2, the teeth areimpressed in the opposing pad surfaces. Under the applied pressure oneset of occlusive surfaces, such as those of the upper teeth, receive atransfer coating of phenophthalein as in the areas shown at 16 in FIGURE3, while the opposing surfaces receive a transfer coating of theactivator substance sodium tetraborate as shown at 18. Then with the padremoved the patient is requested to occlude the teeth together in hisnormal bite, as in FIGURE 4, and thereupon to open his jaws so as toreveal the respective points of contact 16p and 18p at whichintermixture of the indicator and activator substances leave visibledeposits of activated indicator substance. The dentist is thus able todetermine at a glance the existence and precise locations of anypremature contact points enabling him to remove remaining excess toothmaterial.

In another example one of the pads outer layers is saturated with acolored dye substance such as tartrazine yellow and the other with acontrasting colored dye substance such as sodium indigo disulfonateblue. The coated areas 16 and 18 in FIGURE 3 would then be yellow andblue respectively. After occlusion with the pad removed the contactpoint marks 16p and 18p in FIGURE will be a distinct green color as aresult of yellow and blue dye intermixture and will contrast visiblywith the respective yellow or blue background tones on the toothsurfaces. Dyes of this nature may be obtained from National AnilineDivision of Allied Chemical Corporation of New York, the yellow dyebeing identified as FD & C yellow No. 5 and the blue dye as FD & C blueNo. 1. Other dye substances and color combinations may also be used.

It will be evident that the interactive marking substances with whichthe pad surfaces are laden may be either liquid or dry. If dry they maybe moistened by the dentist before insertion of the pad into thepatients mouth, or they may be moistened by contact with the moisture onthe surfaces of the patients teeth. Usually the substances chosen shouldbe of a nature permitting them to be easily rinsed from the teeth. Inthis way the articulation test may easily be repeated as necessary inorder to determine whether the removal of tooth material has beensuflicient to eliminate the premature points of contact marked by thesubstances.

It will be noted that the pad may be made as soft and thick as desiredso as to provide the desired degree of impressability of the teeth inthe pad surfaces and thereby spread the interaction marking substancesover areas including all points of potential premature contact betweenthe teeth. Since the pad is removed when the actual marking of thecontact points occurs, thickness of the pad has no adverse effect on thedegree of precision and definition with which the contact points aremarked. Usually adequate area coverage of the tooth surfaces by theapplied marking substances can be attained with the pads outer layersformed of thin cloth sheets. When the marking substances are stored onthe surfaces in an essentially dry state or are such that they do nottend to migrate through the pad so as to interrnix prematurely, the padcould be made of a single sheet of material. Similarly depending uponthe pad materials and marking substances used, the presence of a barrierlayer may or may not be necessary to prevent premature intermixture ofmaterials. The barrier layer instead of consisting of a separate sheetof said material laminated between outer layers may be in the form of acoating applied to one or both outer layers, such as an adhesive coatingto bind the outer layers together.

These and other aspects of the invention will be evident to thoseskilled in the art having reference to the present disclosure of theinvention in its preferred embodiments.

I claim as my invention:

1. Means for marking tooth contact points on occlusion, comprising animpressionable pad formed to be inserted and to be bitten between upperand lower teeth, opposite faces of said pad bearing respectivelydifferent substances adapted for transfer from the pad to the teethsurfaces impressed therein by pressure of contact therewith, saidsubstances being of a nature to interact in visible manner uponintermixture thereof, whereby visible marks are formed on the teeth attheir points of contact on occlusion with the pad removed.

2. The means defined in claim 1, wherein the pad comprises a laminateincluding outer layers which are permeable to the respective substancesand a nonperrneable barrier layer interposed between the outer layers soas to prevent intermixture of the substances by transfer through thepad.

3. The means defined in claim 2, wherein the outer layers comprise wovenfabric material.

4. The means defined in claim 1, wherein one substance comprises a pHindicator and the other substance comprises an activator therefor.

5. The means defined in claim 1, wherein the substances compriseditferently colored dyes which produce a third color when intermixed.

6. The method of marking tooth contact points on occlusion comprisingapplying to the opposing surfaces of upper and lower teeth respectivesubstances which produce a visible effect when intermixed, and thereuponoccluding the teeth so as to produce visible marking effects at theirpoints of contact.

7. The method defined in claim 6, wherein each substance is applied tothe teeth by transfer from a carrier pad which is pressed against theteeth.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,183,624 12/1939 Schwartz 32l92,633,637 4/1953 Lucia 32-l9 2,752,681 7/1956 Jankelson 3219 3,126,6313/1964 McCarthy et a1. 3219 ROBERT PESHOCK, Primary Examiner.

